Surfline · B2C · surf forecast and cam app
Let free users use a few features without limits instead of capping visits
Tested both; guest prefers unlimited use of free features, no numbers
Workedpaywallretention
What they did
Over three years tested messaging, what sits behind the paywall, and different freemium models: unlimited access to a limited set of features vs a New York Times-style meter where some features lock after about the third use. Prefers not limiting engagement: free users who come in 10-15 times a month form a habit and give more chances to message and educate them about premium.
What happened
Guest prefers the unlimited-free-features model after testing both.
- Stage
- Scale (mature)
- Effort
- Three years of testing freemium models and messaging
In their words
Sub Club by RevenueCat · How to Succeed with Freemium and Hybrid Monetization — Paul Ganev, Surfline“The last three years we've tested and tested and tested different options, right? Not just messaging or what's paywalled and what's not, but the different models.”
“So you come in and after your third time of using these features, you're no longer allowed to use them.”
“Ultimately, I'm a bigger fan of not limiting engagement, because if you can create some kind of habituation with a free product, it's fantastic. They'll come in on their own, and if someone's coming in 10, 15 times a month, that gives you more opportunity to message them”
Related topics
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More from this episode
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- Surfline: Keep adding paid features and new surf cams for free users to upgrade toShort spike from early adopters, then a higher baseline conversion
- Surfline: Play a short video ad before free users can watch the surf camEarns from free users; host remembers an ad years later
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- Surfline: Cut market research down using your own free users' data and surveys
- Surfline: Aim the paid plan at surfers who go often; leave casual ones to free apps